Yes, I read Peggy Orenstein's "Cinderella Ate My Daughter". I grew up with Barbie, Seventeen and Sassy Magazines, among everything else that has been targeted as a cause for body image issues in kids. I never had any issues. The only thing I wished I had was wider hips and smoother skin (I have ichthyosis) and less hair stomach. I knew I was thin little thing. It was when I took modelling classes at a modelling agency in town that I started to understand more about who really controls what we see in ads and T.V. and why the models are so thin and what it really takes to be a model. Let me tell ya, it's not too far off what you see in America's Top Model. I used to be really into that show until it got too gimmicky and Tyra started to seem like she's been going through some mid life crisis.
I'm going to lay it straight, the loudest voice to a child really is their parents. They look up to us like we're gods. Think about how many times you say you need to go on a diet or how fat you feel. Or how about when you criticize that large woman's purchases at the check out at the grocers. I'm guilty of it myself, but I also don't care. I like being a bit heavier. I'm not always cold and need to wear socks at night. I've gone out in the middle of winter with just a sweater. And best of all I don't get annoying cat calls anymore. I really don't miss that. So awkward.
When I was playing with Barbie back in the 80's and 90's, I found her body rather unflattering and unrealistic and thought it was gross her boobs were pointy and huge. Her rubber legs made it a pain to get her clothes on and other doll clothes wouldn't fit her. I think I tore another doll's clothes trying to pry them on her. I gotta say, Barbie's fashions were so pretty and cool to me. I was happy just to dress her up and decorate the Barbie pool and house and camper. I never viewed Barbie as skinny as not only did she have huge knockers but a huge rib cage which amplified her boobs even more.
In Peggy's book, she criticizes Monster High Dolls as being worse because they are even skinnier and promote a lazy, superficial life for girls, because, I believe it was, Clawdeen Wolf, who has written in her bio book that comes with the doll, "she hates gym because she can't wear her high heels". Okay, for a mom who's been raising a balanced daughter, in regards to gender equality, I think that is ... not the message I want to send to my daughter. And, she says the Monster High dolls are thinner than Barbie. Well...duh, they are undead. Look at Skelita, she is all bones, because she is a skeleton. But then again, these dolls don't really teach girls anything because girls don't pay attention to that a whole lot. They know it's just a doll. The dolls are smaller, too, does that mean girls are going to think it's realistic to be only dolls sized (whatever Barbie's height is, I didn't measure her)?
Now I really want to discuss modelling. Like I said, I went to modelling classes (yes, there are such things) and I had no idea how much there was to cover. The classes go on for as long as a regular school year. They even book in shows and you go to photo shoots. It was really fun, and there was some work and a lot of learning to be done. I got learn how important it is to pay attention to dates and rehearsals. My first show was a hair show at the convention centre in town. I didn't realize there was a recital I had to go to and I had no clue what they were going to do to my hair or what I was supposed to do. Try a 90's uneven bob, permed. My mom didn't know how to treat a perm and I didn't think to listen to the staff when they said DO NOT WASH FOR A DAY. My mom MADE me wash my hair and redo the style as always, so I know how to replicate it. I nearly fried my hair. Thanks mom. In other classes, we learned how much attention to how you dress, have your hair and how much make up you wear depends on where in the world your interview is. Seriously, in different parts of the world they expect you to look a certain way that is different depending on the country. That doesn't mean altering permanently. For example, in Japan they may prefer hair pulled back in a pony tail, fresh faced and neutral clothes, whereas in milan, they may like hair down, a bit of light eye make-up and a heavy lipstick with trendy clothes, hypothetically speaking.
You get taught how to put on make up properly, different tricks to get clothes to fit you during a runway show or photo shoot. You wouldn't believe the stuff the models have to do to get the clothes to look right (clips holding excess material in the back, hair spray to keep something from malfunctioning). They even teach you a bit about self defense. There is so much to remember to take with you. You have a bag to bring with you everywhere, just like a dancer's bag.
Most of the offensive stuff happens when the advertisers want to alter your body into some mutant with photoshop. And if you want to get mad about all the skinny models you see, blame the designers for making their sample sizes being size 2 or 0.
I was always more into the fashion and décor. My daughter is more of a Transformers gal. She never really played with Barbies except if it had to do with her horses. She has more horse figurines than all the dolls she's ever received in her life. I collect Monster High, Ever After High and collectable Barbies now. I was the one playing with all her dolls, anyways, while she just rolled her eyes and continued on her race to save the young foal.
My daughter is really curvy, pear-shaped and she's been heckled about it in school and gaped at by other parents. Nonetheless, she is comfortable in her own body. So even with my relaxed view on an uptight subject, I must have been doing something right.
I'm going to lay it straight, the loudest voice to a child really is their parents. They look up to us like we're gods. Think about how many times you say you need to go on a diet or how fat you feel. Or how about when you criticize that large woman's purchases at the check out at the grocers. I'm guilty of it myself, but I also don't care. I like being a bit heavier. I'm not always cold and need to wear socks at night. I've gone out in the middle of winter with just a sweater. And best of all I don't get annoying cat calls anymore. I really don't miss that. So awkward.
When I was playing with Barbie back in the 80's and 90's, I found her body rather unflattering and unrealistic and thought it was gross her boobs were pointy and huge. Her rubber legs made it a pain to get her clothes on and other doll clothes wouldn't fit her. I think I tore another doll's clothes trying to pry them on her. I gotta say, Barbie's fashions were so pretty and cool to me. I was happy just to dress her up and decorate the Barbie pool and house and camper. I never viewed Barbie as skinny as not only did she have huge knockers but a huge rib cage which amplified her boobs even more.
In Peggy's book, she criticizes Monster High Dolls as being worse because they are even skinnier and promote a lazy, superficial life for girls, because, I believe it was, Clawdeen Wolf, who has written in her bio book that comes with the doll, "she hates gym because she can't wear her high heels". Okay, for a mom who's been raising a balanced daughter, in regards to gender equality, I think that is ... not the message I want to send to my daughter. And, she says the Monster High dolls are thinner than Barbie. Well...duh, they are undead. Look at Skelita, she is all bones, because she is a skeleton. But then again, these dolls don't really teach girls anything because girls don't pay attention to that a whole lot. They know it's just a doll. The dolls are smaller, too, does that mean girls are going to think it's realistic to be only dolls sized (whatever Barbie's height is, I didn't measure her)?
Now I really want to discuss modelling. Like I said, I went to modelling classes (yes, there are such things) and I had no idea how much there was to cover. The classes go on for as long as a regular school year. They even book in shows and you go to photo shoots. It was really fun, and there was some work and a lot of learning to be done. I got learn how important it is to pay attention to dates and rehearsals. My first show was a hair show at the convention centre in town. I didn't realize there was a recital I had to go to and I had no clue what they were going to do to my hair or what I was supposed to do. Try a 90's uneven bob, permed. My mom didn't know how to treat a perm and I didn't think to listen to the staff when they said DO NOT WASH FOR A DAY. My mom MADE me wash my hair and redo the style as always, so I know how to replicate it. I nearly fried my hair. Thanks mom. In other classes, we learned how much attention to how you dress, have your hair and how much make up you wear depends on where in the world your interview is. Seriously, in different parts of the world they expect you to look a certain way that is different depending on the country. That doesn't mean altering permanently. For example, in Japan they may prefer hair pulled back in a pony tail, fresh faced and neutral clothes, whereas in milan, they may like hair down, a bit of light eye make-up and a heavy lipstick with trendy clothes, hypothetically speaking.
You get taught how to put on make up properly, different tricks to get clothes to fit you during a runway show or photo shoot. You wouldn't believe the stuff the models have to do to get the clothes to look right (clips holding excess material in the back, hair spray to keep something from malfunctioning). They even teach you a bit about self defense. There is so much to remember to take with you. You have a bag to bring with you everywhere, just like a dancer's bag.
Most of the offensive stuff happens when the advertisers want to alter your body into some mutant with photoshop. And if you want to get mad about all the skinny models you see, blame the designers for making their sample sizes being size 2 or 0.
I was always more into the fashion and décor. My daughter is more of a Transformers gal. She never really played with Barbies except if it had to do with her horses. She has more horse figurines than all the dolls she's ever received in her life. I collect Monster High, Ever After High and collectable Barbies now. I was the one playing with all her dolls, anyways, while she just rolled her eyes and continued on her race to save the young foal.
My daughter is really curvy, pear-shaped and she's been heckled about it in school and gaped at by other parents. Nonetheless, she is comfortable in her own body. So even with my relaxed view on an uptight subject, I must have been doing something right.
